Is Therapy Pointless? Help!!!!! Posted: 10-21-04 17:37pm
I been on antidepressants for a year now
and a few months ago started therapy
realizing my suicidal thoughts were out of
control. However, I questioning it. I
go in for a mere 50 minutes a week and i'm
suppose to get better? I honestly don't
know how people heal when they practically
do all the talking in therapy and answer
questions, trying to find the
significance. For me, revealing my
personal life is quite difficult and a bit
daunting trying to articulate past events
or current feelings. It would take me
hours and hours to get out everything and
find it so annoying to get cut off after
50 minutes. I've explained my
apprehension and reservations to my
therapist (who is really sweet), but its
not like she can change the rules. What
do I do? I've tried breaking it down
littles issues, sections, and pieces at a
time, but really find the time constraints
frustrating. I've even thought about
going twice a week, but my insurance only
pays for once a week and I can't afford to
pay an additional $100.00 per week for a
session. What do I do? I don't want to
quit or change therapists. I just hate
when they overanalyze the things that
aren't quite relevant. I know they are
trying b/c they don't really know me, but
its frustrating. I know enough about my
self to share my weaknesses and truly want
strategy's all how to deal and cope, but
it seems they want to pick apart things
that aren't that much of a problem.
Help! Any feedback or personal stories
would be appreciated.
|
kitty_55
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Posts: 1473 Location: Canada
Posted: 10-22-04 20:31pm
Hey I have been to many people about
deperssion and it does not help me at
all.... I dont trust them. And it cost
alot of money... I have been suffering
from depression for 3 and a half years. I
am getting better now. I dont know what
else to say but if you ever need to talk I
have msn at strawberrykoolaid13@hotmail.Com
|
PattyV
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 1103 Location: Chicago area
Posted: 10-24-04 19:14pm
Mostly, your therapist listens so you can
verbalize your own solutions. We
sometimes have the answers within us,we
are often not ready to hear them.Therapy
is only pointless if you think it is.If
you are not in therapy with a sincere
effort,you will not have success.I agree
that 50 minutes is not nearly enough time
to express yourself.Perhaps you can join a
group through your hospital or mental
health organization-these are often free
or low cost.Good luck to you.Patty
|
purple333
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 10-27-04 03:40am
If you are not improving/feel that it's
not of help...... Keep going but a) try
to get into a group for therapy/support as
well and b) look into alternative
treatments like sam-e, 5htp (tryptophan)
and ces machines (dynamind or
alpha-stim.Com about $us200).
|
mommyofboy
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Posts: 5 Location: Parker, CO
Posted: 11-18-04 11:33am
I did therapy a few years ago at the
urging of someone. They never could find
any reason for my depression. I just
found it helpful to talk about how awful I
felt while I was getting better for a
really bad depressive episode. She did
give me some coping mechanism like deep
breathing, etc. You could try journaliing
your thoughts and issues, that might help.
Talking to others on the internet is
also good, like a support group. I hope
you get better really soon.
|
captain
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Posts: 3 Location: west sussex
Is Therapy Pointless ? Posted: 11-18-04 18:44pm
The question rturner asked is one thats
been bothering me for afew weeks. Ive
been on antideppresents for 4 months. Ive
had 6 weeks of therapy and while I found
it did help me to find reasons for my
mood, anger and feelings, it hasnt helped
me to get better. I put it down to the
fact that I know what the problems are but
also know theres not realy any way to make
them better, thus make me better. The
only way I know (from previous experience)
is time. Maybe a year or two. I cant
afford any more therapy and dont think the
fluxotine is working. Is it worth another
trip to the doctor or is it normal to
carry on suffering till the year or two is
up ?
Im just releived to know im not the only
person to be feeling like rturner.
I hope we find the answers.
|
sandbag5492004
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 Nov 2004 Posts: 55 Location: New York
Posted: 11-19-04 18:34pm
There are different types of depression.
As for instance losing a job, a loved one,
or going through a physical crisis. I am
bi-polar and have suffered from depression
for 59 years. The first time I tried to
kill myself I was only 4 years old. Tried
to electrocute my self in a thunderstorm,
standing in a puddle of water and placing
both hands on a piece of copper tubing
hooked to a tank that held oil for
heating. Therapy is good but is never a
complete fix for long term depression. It
is a place to vent, be honest about how
you feel, to diagnose if the depression is
a lifetime thing or temporary, etc. Etc.
Don't stop going, I have seen the same doc
for almost 20 years. He knows me like a
book. Everything you tell this person is
in confidence. Give it time, please
always here. Email me if you want to it
is san
dbag5492004@yahoo.Com
god bless
leslie
|
jurplesman
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Posts: 139 Location: Sydney Australia
Depression And Hypoglycemia Posted: 11-20-04 23:34pm
The general feeling that talk therapy does
not work is wide spread, and for very good
reasons.
Psychologists like us to believe that the
‘psychological experiences’ of depression
are the causes of depression. In other
words that the depressive thoughts of
depression are the reason why we are
depressed. Hence there is the assumption
that you can ‘talk yourself’ out of
depression. It seems to me that they are
confusing symptoms for causes.
The drug therapy approach believe that
depression is really due to some
biochemical imbalance that can be
corrected by rebalancing it with the use
of drugs. But the question ‘why the
biochemical imbalance’, is never asked,
because most doctors do not know why
people become depressed or at least cannot
explain it. Besides drug therapy does
not to pretend to cure depression, you
take drugs like you take drugs for
diabetes for the rest of your life. If
indeed depression is a physical disease,
then, of course, we cannot expect talk
therapy to cure it.
Let us start with some reasons why some
people become depressed, as a very
plausible hypothesis.
Most depressed people have heard of the
antidepressant activities of sam-e. The
body can produce s-adenosylmethionine
(sam-e) from methionine - an important
essential amino acid that we must obtain
from food. When methionine combines with
a molecule of energy -
adenosinetriphosphate (atp) - it becomes
sam-e. The antidepressant effect of
sam-e is due to the fact that it contains
a methyl group (ch3), which if donated to
another chemical changes the structure and
function of that chemical. Methylation
is very important in the synthesis of many
neurotransmitters such as serotonin,
dopamine, norepinephrine and so on.
The molecule of energy (atp) is ultimately
derived from glucose, following a long
chain of biochemical reactions (called
glycolysis) that has atp as its end
product with co2 and h2o as by-products.
Thus if want to produce sam-e we need at
least sufficient amounts of methionine and
atp. But we also need a host of vitamins
and minerals to produce the various
neurotransmitters. Serotonin - our
happiness hormone, said to be in short
supply in depression - is produced from
tryptophan, another essential amino acid
found in food - with the help of vitamin
b6 (pyridoxine) and magnesium. Thus if
we are deficient in vitamin b6 and/or
magnesium, we cannot produce serotonin.
And if we cannot produce serotonin we
cannot produce melatonin - our sleeping
hormone - which is derived from serotonin,
also via a vitamin b6 dependent enzyme.
When taking antidepressant medication the
body will stop producing the
neurotransmitters that are in oversupply.
This is done by inactivating an enzyme
(pyridoxal kinase) that converts vitamin
b6 from food into its active form
(pyridoxal-5-phosphate (p5p)). P5p is
required in the synthesis of many
neurotransmitters.
Thus one effect is that he natural
production of serotonin has been
interrupted and that may also affect our
appetite centres, which are dependent on
serotonin. Hence this explains some of
the side effects of ad medications such as
weight gain.
The biochemical aspect of depression can
be and is very complex. One wonders how
humans have remained free of depression
for such long time, without knowing
anything about biochemistry. The reason
is that the body is wiser, than our
brains. It knows exactly what substances
in food are required to synthesize the
innumerable enzymes, co-enzymes, vitamins
and minerals to produce the right
neurotransmitters.
Thus we may be able to simplify the
problem of depression by saying that the
answer and solution lies in a natural
diet.
We could reduce the whole problem of
depression by claiming that it is a
disease of energy production.
We know that the brain relies solely on
glucose as its only source of energy.
In fact the brain, representing 2% of body
weight, requires about 70-80 per cent of
all available glucose in the body whether
we are awake of asleep.
In our high sugar consuming society it
would be natural to believe that we should
not have any problems ingesting adequate
sources of biological energy. Yet, the
facts point in the opposite direction.
Excess sugar consumption may lead to
insulin resistance and ultimately to
diabetes.
Studies have found that most depressed
people have insulin resistance. This
means that receptors for insulin fail to
properly push glucose across cell
membranes. This may result in an
increase of blood sugar levels, that
trigger more release of insulin
(hyperinsulinism).
This in turn may cause a steep fall in
blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), which
is seen as a threat to the steady energy
supply to the brain. In a hypoglycemic
dip, the brain will send stress hormone
messages to the adrenal gland to pour
adrenaline into the system. Adrenaline
functions to convert sugar stores in the
body (glycogen) back into glucose, so as
to feed the brain again.
The internally driven excess adrenaline
production is said to be the major cause
of those ‘psychological experiences’
accompanying mental illness, such as
depression, anxiety attacks, phobias, wild
mood swings, insomnia, nervousness, heart
palpitations, impulsive behaviour, anger
outbursts and may drive some people to
self-medicate themselves with alcohol and
drugs.
Thus to simplify the treatment for
depression, the best way to deal with it
is to adopt the hypoglycemic diet. This
diet, which is a natural diet, high in
good quality proteins, low in refined
carbohydrates, taken in frequent snacks
and supplemented with various vitamins an
minerals -known to be deficient or in
great demand - aims at supplying the body
with all the ingredients to synthesize the
right amounts of neurotransmitters,
normalize blood sugar levels as well as
insulin and stress hormone levels.
This treatment is as free as sunshine and
rain-water and places greater control of
treatment in the hands of patients
themselves. However, this is not say
that you should change treatment without
the help of your doctor or counsellor.
Withdrawal of drugs is not an easy matter.
Drugs may have created a different
biochemistry, and it requires a long time
for the body to readapt to a drugless
environment.
Please familiarize yourself with the
nutritional aspects of depression and then
discuss with your therapist.
The body runs the brain, and the brain
runs the mind.
Diet is certainly a factor that should be
assessed when dealing with how to remedy
depression. However there are many types
of & reasons for depression & some
of these can not & will never be fixed
by diet they do require medication,
counselling &/or other treatments or
simply time. E.G. Death of a loved one,
sexual assault, long term physical
illness(yours or that of a family member
or close friend even).
As to the issue of a person needing
counselling/meds etc & being unable to
afford them for whatever reason - there
are on-line sites that can help via chat
forums (not quite the same as group
therapy but better perhaps than nothing)
also books that can be borrowed, bought
second hand or in some cases downloaded
which provide guidance for an individual
to help heal themselves.
